Golf Course Review of Bude & North Cornwall Golf Club

There is uniqueness about Bude & North Cornwall that lovers
of true and natural links golf will find not only alluring but extremely
exciting.

The movement in the land throughout the property and the
contouring of the greens is amazing and makes playing here a truly fabulous
golfing experience.

In all honesty the actual quality of the putting surfaces
on our visit in early April 2015 was disappointing. They had recently been
scarified, covered in sand and the ball was bobbling all over the place. We
obviously got them on a bad day but looking beyond the actual condition of
the greens there is something special going on here.

The opening five holes are played on a triangular parcel of
land separated from the rest of the holes by a road. The proximity of the
course to the town of Bude, which has grown up all around the course, is
noticeable and gives a different, but refreshing feel, to many other links
courses. At many times during the round you are within a pitching wedge of
shops, restaurants, a school and several houses. You won’t find
glorious isolation at Bude but you will find a fascinating and
quirky golf course.

After a couple of getaway holes Bude really starts to come
alive from the third with a really impressive short par four; a fairway
bunker provides options from the tee on how to tackle this dog-leg hole
which is played to an excellent plateau green. It is then followed by a
superb par three where you may be cheered (or booed) by drinkers on the
veranda at the nearby Beach House Hotel… depending upon if your tee shot
finds the green or not! It’s almost certainly the closest most of us will
ever get to playing the 16th hole in the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale!
Meanwhile, the fifth has a wonderfully fluid green that completes the holes
on this part of the property.

The fun undoubtedly continues at the sixth and seventh
where you play from rumpled fairways to raised greens. Holes like these two
are unique and are a reminder of how golf should perhaps be. You may not
always get what you deserve but they are certainly played with a smile on
your face. Indeed, the stretch of holes from the 3rd to the 7th at Bude is
very good.

The course displays a slightly different character for
holes eight, nine and ten where it loses its linksy feel but retains the
challenge. The par-five ninth is the sandwich between two short holes and is
also the pick of this trio where a drive down the left will open up a
secluded green surrounded by trees.

The course then peaks again with a run of holes from the
11th through to the 14th that are excellent and call for all kinds of
creativity. The short par four 12th and demanding par-three 13th are real
highlights along with the brilliant dell green at the 14th.

The final five holes on the course do feel a bit up and
down but there is some good golf to be found too. A wonderful stream
meanders through this part of the course and adds another layer of character
to this highly enjoyable golf course.

Bude far exceeded my expectations and for a £10 twilight
green-fee this has to be one of the bargains in not just the South-West but
the entire UK. It was a shame the greens were in poor condition on our visit
but this didn’t take away from what was a memorable experience on a true
links golf course with a big feel-good factor.